Hogwarts: The True Story
by Splash of Blue
Summary: You've probably heard a lot of fluff about what happened to Lily and James -and their friends- at Hogwarts. Well, this ain't like that! NO FLUFF. R and R please!
1. The Letter

Hogwarts: The True Story Part 1: The Letter  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I expect you've heard quite a bit about your parents as they were at school, especially from Hagrid, and I'd hazard a guess that ninety per cent of it wasn't true, or at least was over- romanticised. For a start, Lily wasn't all sweet, innocent and goody-goody- far from it! Beautiful she certainly was, but Lily had never in her life been innocent OR goody-goody! And James wasn't all that don't-care-ish- he cared about a lot of things and your mum was one of them. There were more than four Marauders too- thirteen of us in fact, from all different houses. And yeah, the thirteen was unlucky- for anyone who got on our bad sides! Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs made the Marauders' Map for everyone else's use as well as their own. We were a kind of coalition for all the things we liked- music, fun and madness, mainly.  
  
You know, no doubt, that Hagrid sent owls off to all Lily and James' school friends for pictures, back in your first year. But did you know who those school friends were? We've come together, fifteen years after our friends' deaths, to tell you the true story about what really happened back at Hogwarts all those years ago. Why? Why should we suddenly decide to spill the beans after all these years? Harry, Sirius contacted us after Voldemort returned, and we're all fighting once more against the same old enemy. Well, war is war and that's a fact. Some of us will not see this through to the end, and then our story will be lost. It's taken a long time for us to piece all our bits of the puzzle together. I was chosen, as Lily's best friend, to send this letter to you. Read on for the true story about what happened at Hogwarts all those years ago… for what really happened in the old War, and how your parents- and the rest of us- fell in and out of love and friendships… 


	2. Train Ride to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to the genius J.K Rowling, everything else, including the plot, belongs to me.  
  
A/N: Yep, it's reviewers helping out time! To save time creating new characters, I'd like you guys to create them for me. Review and put the character's name, age, house and whether or not they're on the Quidditch team (if they are, tell me whether they play as a Chaser, Seeker, Beater or Keeper) plus appearance and personality, as well as if they've got any brothers or sisters and if they're pureblood, Muggle-born, or half and half. I'd just like to state in advance that I already have names for the Gryffindor Quidditch team from third year onwards, and part of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams, also from third year onwards.  
  
Hogwarts: The True Story- Part 2: Train Ride to Hogwarts  
  
"James! James, over here!" Sirius waved madly to his best friend, nearly knocking his father's hat off. A tall boy with messy black hair disentangled himself from his mother, who was hugging him fiercely, and dashed over to his long-time best friend. They high-fived, grinning like a pair of Cheshire cats.  
  
"Now, now, Sirius," Sirius's father was saying distractedly. His son switched his attention back to his parent. "Behave yourself at Hogwarts, my boy. I don't want any owls home saying you've been misbehaving."  
  
"No, Dad," Sirius said dutifully. There was a speculative gleam in his eyes that said quite plainly "Whatever", but his father didn't appear to notice- he seemed to have other things on his mind. James Potter noticed it, however, and he grinned at Sirius from behind Mr. Black's back. Sirius grinned back, and his father gave up on what he was he was trying to say and hugged his son. "Just- just be OK, Sirius, OK?"  
  
Sirius looked rather surprised at this show of emotion but returned the hug, a little self-consciously. With a quick "Bye Dad,", he tugged his trunk out of sight and joined James, who was by now standing a little way off. Between them, the two boys tugged and heaved their two trunks into an empty compartment.  
  
"Well?" asked James impatiently. "What was that all about?" Sirius wasn't listening. He half hung out of the window of their compartment, watching a group of young witches and wizards tormenting a boy with straight light brown hair with two pieces that hung over his eyes and greeny- grey eyes. He looked tired and his jeans and t-shirt were faded, patched and torn. Their leaders were two boys of about the same ages as the boy and Sirius and James.  
  
"Hey, what's this piece of mudblood filth doing here?" asked the one leader, a boy with long, straight, greasy black hair, sallow skin and a hooked nose.  
  
"Get back in the dustbins where you got your clothes from, ratbag!" sneered the other, a fairly good-looking boy with short white-blonde hair, a pale pointed face, cold grey eyes and a disdainful expression.  
  
The object of their insults merely muttered "I'm wizard born," and otherwise ignored them. Sirius and James looked at each other and decided to help him out. They scrambled down from their compartment and moved so that they stood just in front of the boy.  
  
"Leave him alone, what's he done to you?" asked Sirius hotly.  
  
"He's obviously Muggle- born, isn't that enough?" snickered a fat girl with blonde hair and a face like a pug.  
  
"I'd take a look at yourself before you make judgments like that, pugface!" came an angry voice behind them. Sirius and James swung round to see two girls making their way towards them. The girl who had spoken was small, slim and wirey, with cropped dark brown hair and bright blue eyes that were currently flashing with temper. She wore dark red robes that set off her eyes perfectly. Her companion was a taller girl with freckles, massive green eyes and deep coppery red hair, wearing muggle clothing- a green tank top and black combats. Two other girls joined them, a tall willowy blonde with steady blue- grey eyes and an equally tall girl with medium- length jet black hair tied back in a high ponytail and grey eyes. They too wore muggle attire. All four joined the group, standing next to Sirius, James and the other boy.  
  
"Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy," said the smallest girl coolly. "I just want you to know that nobody could have a higher opinion of you two than I have. And I think you are slimey, traitorous, ugly pieces of scum!"  
  
The girls next to her, Sirius and James grinned.  
  
"Monique James," purred the boy with blonde hair. "Enchanted. To think that our kind should have such a disgrace as you- consorting with mudbloods, of all people!" He was clearly referring to the girls in Muggle dress. Lucius Malfoy- for it was he- never even saw the hard kick that the red haired girl launched at his privates coming. He fell to the floor while Sirius and James smirked and was then roughly hauled to his feet by a tall boney- looking girl with blonde hair and an expression that suggested she had dragon dung under her nose. The two of them and Snape threw joint dirty looks at the girls, then slunk away with the rest of their group. Monique and her friends snorted derisively, then she turned to the boys.  
  
"Well well, Sirius Black and James Potter. Getting into trouble as usual, I take it?" she grinned. "This is Lily Evans, a friend of mine-" she indicated the redhead, "Minerva McGonagall and Erin Seanderson, other friends." The black haired girl and the blonde stepped forwards and smiled in turn. Then Monique turned to boy they'd just helped. "Who are you?" she asked curiously. "I've not seen you before, and I thought I knew most of the people coming to Hogwarts this year."  
  
"I'm Remus Lupin," smiled the boy distantly. His smile had the unusual effect of making him look even more tired –but quite a bit cuter- than before. It also had a rather unexpected effect on Minerva McGonagall's heart rate. "Thanks for the help. I only heard about a week ago that I was coming to Hogwarts. Actually, I'm a pureblood, but those idiots obviously don't appreciate that fact."  
  
"My name's James Potter and that's my best friend, Sirius Black. We're both pureblood too," said James. "What about you guys?" he asked the girls.  
  
"Well, you all know I'm pureblood," said Monique.  
  
"I'm Muggleborn," said Lily, "but me and Monique have grown up together, and I always knew she was a witch. That's how I knew what Lucius Malfoy was saying when he called us Mudbloods."  
  
"Me too," agreed Erin. She had a faint Irish brogue. "It was such a shock when I found out I was a witch- and then when Lily, Monique and Minerva said they were too!"  
  
"I'm half and half," said Minerva in her slight Scots accent, colouring. "My dad's a wizard, and my mum's a muggle."  
  
Their conversation was interrupted as five other people joined the group; two girls and three boys.  
  
"Remus!" laughed the first girl. She had waist length straight, jet black hair, sparkling greenish blue eyes and a confident demeanour. The boy next to her smiled. He had spiky white blonde hair with goldish streaks and blue eyes and seemed quite quiet. Altogether they looked as different as possible.  
  
"We're Apollo and Artemis Westhaven," he said calmly. "We're twins, as a matter of fact."  
  
While the others ingested this surprising fact, a burly boy with a face that closely resembled a bulldog's stepped forward. His face, with its wavy brown hair and deep set brown eyes, didn't look too bright; a bit stupid in fact. "I'm Mundungus Fletcher," he said, by way of introduction.  
  
Next it was the turn of a short, dumpy girl with flyaway light brown hair and light, greeny grey eyes. "Hi," she said. "I'm Arabella Figg, but you guys can call me Ara. All my mates do."  
  
Now a gawky, clumsy looking boy with slightly overlong dark blonde hair, grey eyes, wearing glasses and a slightly nervous expression said: "Er, er, hi. I'm M-milo B-bones."  
  
Their conversation was interrupted by a strident blare from the Hogwarts Express, indicating that it was ready to set off. There was a mad rush for Sirius and James' compartment, as those with trunks were frantically helped to load them by Sirius and James, whose belongings were already aboard the train. Lily had just heaved her trunk aboard and was about to clamber on too when the Express started to move away with surprising speed. James reached out and grabbed her arm, heaving Lily aboard the train just in time. As she was pulled up, her lips brushed James'. Both coloured, but James seemed to recover best, tugging her over to sit next to him. Sirius chuckled and grinned, but stopped abruptly when he spotted Monique staring avidly at him like she'd never seen him before.  
  
It was absolute mayhem in compartment. Although Sirius and James had managed to take possession of one of the largest compartments on the Hogwarts Express, there were twelve people in the still rather small space, which made things rather a squash. Just to add to the confusion, everyone had pets of some sort or description. James owned twin snowy owls called, funnily enough, Apollo and Artemis, while Sirius had an eagle owl called Gryff. Remus Lupin had a svelte black cat called Fort, which, he explained, was short for Fortune. Lily's tawny owl was called Eros, but Monique's black shorthaired cat was named Catrin, while Minerva McGonagall's pretty little tabby was Sabby. Erin's Queenie was an eagle owl of epic proportions, but Apollo had twin white mice called Zeus and Saturn. Although these didn't take up much space, they fought battles alongside Milo's black and white rat, Seahampton, against the twin cats Smudjika and Nightjara, who belonged to Artemis, and Arabella's trio of felines, Blue the Russian Blue, Tigger the Bengal and the black shorthair called Nightingale. Mundungus' little owl, Twitchitt, created even more trouble by insisting upon squawking madly throughout everything.  
  
"SHUT UP!" bellowed Remus at last. He looked even more surprised at himself than the rest. "Look, can the animals go in the next compartment or something? I've already got a headache, and we've only been gone from the station for ten minutes."  
  
This fact was generally agreed, so a few minutes later James went out on a scouting expedition. He poked his nose into one compartment then the next, passing a short, blonde, roly-poly looking boy looking slightly forlorn on his way out. Luckily enough, there was a spare compartment right next door, so they all trooped out carrying owls that hooted and cats that clawed between them, it having been decided that the smallest animals, rats and mice, would be allowed to remain. When they all returned, Milo and Apollo having been helping the others with their problem pets, it was to find the small boy James had passed earlier in the corridor, sitting on his own in Lily's seat, looking remarkably lonely. Monique's lip curled.  
  
"Weren't you with those idiotic scumbags we had that run-in with before?" she asked angrily. The boy nodded.  
  
"They- they said they were going to turn me into a toad, so I left," he said fretfully. "By the way, I'm Peter Pettigrew. Can I sit with you?"  
  
"No, you can't," said Sirius. "It's already far too full in here, and besides, we don't like bullies."  
  
"I'm not a bully!" said Peter indignantly.  
  
"You were with a group of bullies, and you didn't say anything when they started being nasty," said Lily patiently, in the manner of a teacher explaining something to a small child. "That makes you either another bully, or a coward, which is almost as bad. And you're sitting in my seat, which is the biggest crime of all."  
  
Clearly remembering Lily's karate kick from earlier, Peter Pettigrew reacted as though he'd been bitten, shifting into a different seat like greased lightning.  
  
"That's my seat you're in now," sighed Erin, shoving him out of it. "Listen, just get out and leave us in peace, OK?"  
  
Arabella, however, appealed to the others. "Oh, leave him be," she said. "At least he didn't actually say anything," the newcomers having been filled in on the confrontation some minutes previously, "and he's better than that Severus Snape, or Lucius Malfoy!"  
  
"All right, then," sighed Apollo resignedly, "but he'd better not try any tricks or he's gonna be O-U-T!"  
  
"With my boot helping him on his way!" said Lily, Monique, Sirius and James simultaneously. Everyone laughed. Peter's laugh was squeaky and seemed kind of nervous. Lily noticed suddenly that his eyes were too close together and his nose too pointed. He looked like a mouse, she thought, or maybe a rat. The parallel was even clearer when two white rats popped their heads out from under the colour of his black robes. Peter introduced them as Hecate and Demeter. The three of them looked like cousins. Lily chuckled to herself, closing her eyes for a second against the glare of autumn sunlight streaming in through the compartment window. 


	3. A Worrisome Meeting- And A Mystery...

A/N: OK, here's the fourth chapter. Sorry for the delay- I've had major writer's block on this part, though I've got reams of stuff for future chapters, which will hopefully mean I post the next chapter a little earlier. Thanks to my nine wonderful reviewers- there's personals at the end. And sorry this is so short…  
  
Hogwarts: The True Story   
Part 3: A Worrisome Meeting- And A Mystery…  
The ride to Hogwarts was definitely not the most peaceful method of travel available, but Lily enjoyed the complete and utter madness a lot. About an hour and a half into the journey, a small squat witch with auburn hair came into their compartment with the food trolley. Although Lily had known for years that her friend Monique was a witch, she had rarely sampled wizarding foods such as Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, pumpkin pasties and others. Erin and Arabella, who, until their owl announcing their acceptance to Hogwarts, had had no idea of the wizarding world, had never seen such foods before in their lives. Arabella especially seemed fascinated by the sweets. She bought as much food as the rest bought put together.  
About three quarters of the way through the journey, the compartment door slid open and a tall girl with dark hair and a grim expression slipped in, wearing loose, unfastened black robes that showed the knee- high, jet black boots, almost-but-not-quite knee length black skirt and blood red sleeveless top underneath them. She seemed a bit older than than the others, maybe a second year, but the girl who slipped in beside her was tiny, smaller even than Peter, rake-thin and blonde with a couple of freckles, wearing tightly done-up robes, large round glasses and a slightly nervous smile. The first girl nodded at James and Milo.  
"They're sayin' all down the train that there's a Puffy and a Gryffie in here. _Real_ 'uns, not just house members but _descendants_ 'n' all. Two of The Four, they reckon. 'S you two, is it?"  
James and Milo nodded tightly. "Yeah, 's us," James said gruffly, standing up. "Who wants to know?"  
"Oh, I'm Lucinda Avery an' this is Luise Prewit. We're Slytherins, second years. You'll be firsties?"  
Everyone nodded. Suddenly the door flew open and in strode two other girls. One was of medium height with jet black hair in a high ponytail, blood red painted nails and mouth, with large hoopy earrings in her ears; the other was very tall, with dark red hair and a pale face.  
"I'm Louisa Riddle and this is Ericka MacKinnon," said the girl with black hair, looking around her with a glare that said "You gonna make something of it?". "We're Slytherin second years. Are these the two they were talkin' 'bout, Lucinda?"   
"Yeah, it's them," replied the other, Lucinda, acting as though the thirteen first years didn't even exist. "The Puffy's the blonde geek with glasses, the Gryffie's the guy with the black hair and the 'doesn't own a comb' look." The other two glanced James and Milo over.   
"Hmm, they don't look like much," said Louisa. "D'you reckon they're up to fulfilling The Prophecy?"   
"Time will tell, Louisa," said Ericka. "Doubt it though… wonder who the other two are?"   
"Well, they ain't on this train," said Luise dismissively. "With my dad, we'd've heard."   
Lily looked enquiringly at Monique, so she leaned over and muttered, "Evans Prewit is co-Head of the Department of Mysteries. Slimey git, don't know why they trust him. I wonder what that stuff about The Prophecy is?"   
Remus and Sirius, who were listening, shook their heads. It was plain that they didn't know either.   
With a glance at each other, the four Slytherins left the carriage, slipping out so that they were barely even noticed. James shook his head and sat down, looking worried and anxious. Milo's expression was the same. They exchanged nervous, edgy glances, but said nothing.   
"James, what was all that stuff about?" Sirius asked at last. James sighed resignedly.   
"Sorry pal, we can't tell you. For a start, it's far too dangerous. The less you know the better!" This last was said so fiercely that Sirius was startled.   
"Hey, take a chill pill man, I was only asking!"   
"I know, I know," sighed James. "Sorry I bit your head off. But there are some things-" he broke off, seeming not to know how to continue. Sirius took the hint.   
"All right, I won't ask again," he said. "If you won't, then you won't. But I wish-" He broke off as the train came to a screeching halt, and they all fell forwards as the train went pitch dark. 

~*~ 

**_Medrelina the Weird_**_- Here's more, hope you like the new chapter. _**Basil Psyche**- I'm glad you like this, especially if you're not a big HP fan. Ashley- hope you like the new chapter!_ **Ailsa**- No, they won't all be in Gryffindor. There's two Hufflepuffs, one Slytherin and three Ravenclaws in the to-be Marauders. And I know McGonagall taught the Marauders, though I didn't know when she started. But the pairing I've got in mind for her is too cute, so I thought what the heck and put her in anyway. _**Kay**- yeah, I love Greek mythology, Norse too, although I haven't used any Norse names yet. And what happened to me beta reading your new chapter of New Enemies, New Allies?_ **Ally78**- Glad you like it! I'm continuing as fast as I can! _**Winter Witch**- Cute wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but thanks for reviewing so much of my stuff!


	4. Ghost Train

A/N: I know the Dementor scene in this chapter kind of corresponds to the one in book 3, but I meant to have it that way. All things come in circles, even Dementors. And I dislike putting disclaimers, because it should be obvious that I'm not making any money out of this.  
  
Part 4: The Sorting Hat  
Immediately Remus scrabbled in his pocket and found his wand. "Lumos maximus!" he murmured. Immediately the end of his wand erupted into a bright golden glow, illuminating the scared faces of the others as muted cries of shock and fright floated towards them from the other compartments.   
Suddenly the light began to flicker and fade; Remus' face was apprehensive as he looked at the others by the dying light of his wand. "It's never done that before," he muttered. James, Lily, Monique and Sirius dug in their bags to find their own wands as the Westhaven twins between them yanked down a large purple bag, which they, Milo and Arabella dug into to find their wands. Peter was nowhere to be seen. By now, everyone had their wands out, but none had managed to successfully perform Remus' charm, and as his wand flickered and died at last, the carriage was plunged back into pitch darkness. 

~*~ 

Sadness; a great, unimaginable sorrow that went on and on, flooded the compartment, blocking out all other thoughts and feelings and sending the odd incident they ha just witnessed completely out of Lily's mind. Suddenly the door on the corridor side slid open, silently, which was odd because when they'd used it to go out into the corridor before, it had creaked no end.   
Into the gap stepped what seemed like a moving shadow, just the edges of a flowing robe shown. Everybody leapt to their feet. An odd, hissing, growling sound that sounded oddly like a kind of muffled, hysterical sobbing drifted towards them.   
"Daaaaaark… heeeeere."   
Remus seemed to understand. "Nobody here is anything but a Hogwarts First Year," he said harshly. No-one is hiding anything. Go!"   
At once the air of sorrow in the compartment changed to overwhelming fear; Lily fought the emotions, somehow knowing that the fear was not her, that she could fight it in the same way she fought everything she didn't like. Abruptly the part of the black cloth that seemed to be an arm raised, and a hand, scabby and greenish-greyish-black, like that of a corpse that has rotted in water, rose and pointed straight at Remus.   
"Youuuuu… wooooolf," the creature said. Remus flinched as though he'd been struck, looking at whatever-it-was with eyes that were dull and despairing. He dumbly sat down and said no more. The creature moved towards him, raising its hands as though to pull down its hood with a definite air of menace, but Artemis abruptly moved towards the door, standing between IT and Remus.   
"I don't know who you are; dammit, I don't even know WHAT the hell you are," she said quite calmly, with a voice that held a steely hint of danger. "But nobody. Threatens. My. Friends. Got that, slimeball?"   
At this the creature _did_ pull down its hood, and in spite of herself and her words Artemis took a step back at the sight that met her eyes. It was a skull; a skull with grey, mouldy-looking skin stretched thinly over it like an awful kind of plastic bag stretched too hard. There were no eyes and a sort of snakelike nose that was just two tiny holes. The mouth was nothing but a gaping blackness, blacker than anything Lily had ever seen, just an empty void, like a black hole, sucking air inside with a rattling sound- a death rattle. Artemis screamed, a sound that seemed to galvanize her twin into action. Apollo shook her hard, then slapped her, and the action seemed to bring Artemis back to earth. The two turned to face the creature: together, the way that Lily suspected they had done everything, always. Something silver shot from the very centre of each of their foreheads, in two misty lines- moonbeams, Lily thought irreverently. It meant at a point equally between the twins and the creature, shimmering and forming into a kind of silver human, a girl of about eleven, slim, with tumbling curls and eyes flashing with danger and unspeakable anger. Her face was small, delicate and pointed, like an elf. Apollo gasped and Artemis clapped her hands to her mouth. Both seemed to be fighting the urge to scream.   
"'Mina…" whispered Artemis, staring at the image with a fixed, frenzied fascination. "Oh, 'Mina… why are you here?" At this, the girl turned, and smiled reassuringly at the girl. Then she pointed first at the creature, then the door. What-ever-it-was simply tried to sweep the apparition aside, but a brutal snap-kick to the head from the girl cracked its neck and sent it reeling, stumbling out of the compartment. The girl turned once more to the twins, a sad, sweet smile on her face, a single silver tearing coursing its way down her features.   
"I'm sorry, so, so sorry …" she whispered. "But I'll protect you when you need me… you and your friends. Be careful, now… don't let them get you… I love you both…" She looked as though she wanted to say more, but suddenly vanished with a soft poof like smoke, silver beams coursing back to the twins. All at once, the lights came back on with a crack that them all jump once more.  
Sirius turned to the twins. "All right," he said. "What the hell was THAT?" 


	5. The Sorting Hat

A/N: And I now present for your express delight the one and only, fifth, longest-ever chapter of my fic! Read on to discover just who it was that appeared in order to fight off the creature, and for (Drum roll please) the Sorting Ceremony! Reviews are always welcome (so REVIEW!!!) (pwitty please?) 
Anyway, hope you like the new chapter. XXX Rubii. 
Part 5: The Sorting Hat 
At that, Apollo laughed, a barklike laugh that had no humour in it. 
"That?" he asked slowly, sitting down. "That was Artemina, though I've no idea what that black creature was." 
He said no more, and the others simply looked at each other in confusion. At last Artemis sighed heavily. Apollo raised his head to look at his twin. 
"There shouldn't be secrets between friends," Artemis said quietly. Apollo sighed, just as heavily. 
"All right… you tell it," he said simply. Artemis turned to the rest. 
"Me and Apollo…" she began. "We're not really twins. We're triplets. Or we were… Artemina was our sister. She was as different to us as me and Apollo are- you'd never have guessed we were related, let alone triplets. Really shy, Artemina was. You never quite knew she was there, kinda invisible, you know? Unbelievable temper, though. Absolute fireworks, there were, when she got angry enough. But she died when we were nine. On our birthday… we'd gone to London for the day, to Diagon Alley. We'd just been into the Magical Menagerie… 'Mina got a kitten, same as me, and Apollo got a puppy. We came out, and these guys in black masks –Death Eaters- dark wizards," she explained for the sake of the Muggleborns, "started firing spells at us, everyone who was doing their shopping. We got out of the way, we were safe, when 'Mina dropped her kitten, Snidget. It ran, (her voice was shaking now) it- it ran towards the Death Eaters. 'Mina let go of my hand- I wasn't quick enough to stop her- and dashed across the road for it. They were- were both killed there and then." Suddenly Artemis' expression had become as hard as granite. "Those evil- those evil _creatures_ killed her, just because she dropped her kitten. One day… One day, I swear…" she trailed off. 
"But what I don't understand," said Apollo slowly, "is how she –appeared- just then. I don't know what's going on, but it's probably bad. Speaking of which, what was that other _thing_?" 
Remus looked at the floor. 
"One of the dread prison guards of Azkaban," he said quietly, a little dreamily, but as though the dream was a bad one. Then, completely matter of factly: "A Dementor." 
~*~ 
At the tone of his voice a loud squeak was heard and Peter Pettigrew, looking terrified, tearful (as usual) and incredibly grimy, popped out from under Lily's seat, where he had evidently been hiding since the appearance of the Dementor. 
Suddenly a tall boy with messy black hair and friendly brown eyes, wearing a little silver badge with the word 'Prefect' upon it and looking extraordinarily like James except for eye colour, and with the same friendly but slightly reckless smile, stuck his head into their compartment. 
"Yo, Jamesie-boy," he grinned, looking around. "I'm Michael, by the way, you guys. Gonna introduce us, oh-brother-of-my-heart?" 
James laughed. "Everyone, this is my brother Michael. Michael, this is everyone."  
At this Michael pretended to scrag his brother in mock anger. "Idiot!" he chuckled, when he let James go. "Anyway, the Express'll be arriving any minute now- I thought I'd better warn you, so you can get changed. Wouldn't do to have too many Slytherins seeing you in Muggle clothing, though I've nothing against it myself."  
Sirius nodded. "Thanks pal. Did you get the Dementor just now? Scary, aren't they?" 
Michael nodded too, shuddering. "Yeah- vile creatures. Word is that the new Headmaster can't stand 'em either, but nobody knows who he is- old Armando Dippet died last year. He _was_ right dippy 'n' all, totally off his rocker. They reckon they've got a right cracker for us this time, though, someone dead special. One of the other Prefects reckoned we're gonna get two Heads, but I doubt that. We've not had two Heads at the same time for five hundred years, as far as I'm aware."
At this, a pretty, coloured girl with her black hair jaw-length and as smooth as a mirror stuck her head in too. "So there you are, Michael," she said by way of greeting. "I've been looking for you all down the train- Bilius Weasley's causing havoc, as usual." She shook her head despairingly. "How a kid that thick- and nervy- got into his third year of Hogwarts (Gryffindor, of all houses!) I'll never know."
"All right, Suki, I'm coming," smiled Michael. "I'll you guys later, at the Sorting."
With this he went back up the train with his girlfriend, whom James explained was named Suki Chang and came from Ravenclaw, the Hogwarts House of Knowledge. There were less girls than boys, so Lily, Monique, Artemis, Minerva, Arabella and Erin went into the compartment containing the pets in order to change.
The six of them had just re-entered the compartment when the Hogwarts Express ground to a halt once more and they heard a rough, slightly hoarse voice yelling: "Firs' Years! Firs' years over 'ere, c'mon nah, all of yeh over 'ere!"
They all clambered out, and found that the source of the voice was a giant man with kind, black eyes and a forest of tangled hair that virtually covered his face, holding a giant pink umbrella over his head against the rain that was pelting down out of the ebony sky.
"Hagrid!" yelled Artemis and Apollo, in delight. "Hagrid, it's us!" The giant looked down and grinned in welcome.
"'Temis! 'Pollo!" he said. "Bin wond'rin' when I'd see yeh. How're Sarami an' Mihedrin?"
"Mum and Dad are fine," smiled Artemis. "We haven't seen you in _ages_, Hagrid, where've you been?"
Hagrid looked slightly shifty. "'S Hogwarts business, I'm not allowed ter tell yeh what or the new Head'll 'ave _my_ head. An' tha's _never_ Miranda an' Jonathan Potter's James, is it?"
"Sure is," grinned James. "Good to see you, pal. These are Sirius Black, Lily Evans, Remus Lupin, Monique James and- oh, I can't be bothered to tell you the lot. You'll meet 'em all in due course. What're we supposed to do?"
"Foller me down 'ere, an' yeh'll see sooner or later," answered Hagrid. "Any more firs' years? All righ' then, follow me!"
Everyone trooped down, following the gigantic man down a dark path hemmed in by massive conifers, so dark it was hardly possible to see. Lily caught the slight reflection from James' glasses as he took them off, reckoning he could see better in the howling storm without them. Suki Chang had taken pity on Milo as they had disembarked from the train and performed the Impervius charm on _his_ glasses, so that they now repelled water. At last they reached a lakeside with a flotilla of tiny little boats clustered around the edge. The lake was oddly calm despite the howling wind.
"Well, there yeh are!" grinned Hagrid, gesturing. "Yeh firs' sight o' Hogwarts!" There were oohs and ahhs from the students as they gazed open mouthed at the massive castle shining silver in the moonlight with hundreds of towers and turrets, sitting high on a cliff, lashed by the storm. Though a golden light shone and twinkled at every window, still the great castle looked more like a fortress than a fairytale castle, though Lily felt that the presence was still more benign than malignant.
"Yer meant ter sit in these boats ter take yeh ter Hogwarts," explained Hagrid, gesturing to the miniature flotilla. "'S traditional, see." He raised his head and bellowed above the crowd:
"Firs' years over 'ere righ' now! No more'n four ter a boat fer pity's sake- I'm _watchin_' yer, Malfoy, there's four in tha' boat already so find another before I _make_ yeh!"
Lucius Malfoy threw him a dirty look but obeyed, slinking reluctantly into a boat with the blonde girl- Narcissa, Lily thought her name was, Narcissa Rosier- who had helped him up before, when Lily had kicked him. Lily climbed into a boat with Monique, and Erin and Minerva joined them. Sirius and James were in a boat with Remus and Peter, while the twins shared with Arabella and Milo. Mundungus was in a boat with an old friend of his, Rovaticus Brocklehurst, and two others who Lily didn't know.
Then, with a word of command from Hagrid, they were off, coasting slowly along on the mirror-like lake despite the wind and rain that was lashing into them. Lily wished they could move quicker- she wanted to be in the warm, or at least to be dry. Everyone was completely silent, except for a few sniffles from Peter, as they glided steadily along, gazing up at the great castle.
"Mind yer 'eads!" yelled Hagrid in warning, as the first boats neared the cliff face. Everybody ducked as the tiny little boats carried them through an emerald curtain of dripping ivy, which hid an opening in the rock of the cliff. They were carried along a lightless passageway in a stately sort of way for nearly ten minutes until they reached a little underground harbour. Here the boats slowed to a halt and they clambered out onto slippery, damp pebbles, stumbling slightly in the darkness. Milo tripped and would have fallen flat on his face, but James and Sirius, who happened to be near, grabbed his arms and hauled him back to his feet just before he hit the ground. Remus whipped out his wand to try the Lumos Maximus Charm he had used before, but Hagrid frowned at him and Remus put the wand away in his pocket again. Then they stumbled up a passageway in the stone following Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last in a courtyard with soaking grass that at once soaked through their trainers and socks, leaving everybody with freezing, sopping feet that squelched as they walked. Everyone walked up a flight of white stone steps and crowded round the massive oak and steel front door.
"Everyone here?" Hagrid enquired. Then he raised a fist the size of a ham and bashed three times on the grey, steel doorknocker that was carved into the shape of a dragon. In the carvings above the door the symbol Lily had seen on her letter announcing her acceptance to Hogwarts was prominent, right in the middle of the archway: the Hogwarts crest and motto, 'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus'.
The door swung silently open almost at once.
"If there's nobody behind that door, I'm screaming all the way home," muttered Erin, and Lily, who was near, nodded fervently. However, there was someone there: a tall, smiling blonde haired wizard wearing navy blue robes who bore a startling resemblance to Minerva.
"I'm Professor McGonagall," the wizard said crisply, with the faintest possible hint of an American accent. Lily, Erin and Monique glanced at Minerva in surprise; she noticed their glance and mouthed silently "My dad", smiling at the Professor. He smiled back and gave a small, barely noticeable, wave of greeting.
"Thank you for your help, Hagrid. I will take them from here. By the way, I could do with your assistance in righting my desk later on- Peeves decided to overturn it in a fit of new-school-year high spirits, smashing my wand in the process: I must get Erick to mend it after the Sorting. You know how much our least favourite nuisance loves new, inexperienced people to torment, though I doubt he'll try that particular trick again- the Bloody Baron heard the noise and investigated, with amusing (from _my_ point of view, at least) consequences."
"I'll be onter the job immediately, Professor," replied Hagrid promptly. "I'll be seein' yeh later, you lot." This was said with a nod at the Westhaven twins and James.
"Bye, Hagrid!" Artemis piped up as he left. Hagrid waved.
Professor McGonagall showed them across an Entrance Hall so massive you could have fitted Lily's house into it twice, lit with lighted torches and with the most enormous, imposing marble staircase Lily had seen in her life, and into a small empty chamber off the hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," said McGonagall in what seemed to be his usual, precise way. "The beginning-of-term Feast will begin very shortly, but before you may take your seats in the Great Hall you must each be Sorted into one of the four Houses: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. While you are at Hogwarts, your House will become a little like a second family to you- you will eat at your House table in the Great Hall, take classes with other House members of the same age as you, sleep in your House dormitory and relax in your House common room. Each of our four houses has its own legends and history and each has produced some outstanding wizards and witches. Any triumphs you may have will be rewarded with points for your house, while any misbehaviour on your part will result in the deduction of house points. At the very end of the year, at the Leaving Feast, the Headmaster will present the House Cup to the team with the most house points, which is a great honour. I sincerely hope (here McGonagall's eyes lingered on Sirius and James) that you will be a credit to whatever House you are accepted into.
The Sorting Ceremony will commence in a few moments; it takes place in front of the rest of the school, so I suggest that you try to tidy yourselves up as much as is possible (Monique uneasily tried to smooth her wild, spiky hair down a little, while James and Sirius looked to be doing much the same thing). I shall return in a few moments, when we are ready for you, so please wait quietly." With this, Professor McGonagall swept out of the chamber. Lily felt apprehensive; a large lump seemed to be fighting its way out of her stomach.
"How exactly do they Sort us?" she enquired, trying not to show her nervousness.
"Don't worry," said James dismissively. "My brother Michael told me about it: all you have to do is try on this hat and it shouts out whichever House it thinks you should be in. The only worrying bit is that it's in front of the whole school."
"Did you say _thinks_?" Arabella asked interestedly.
"Yeah, sings too, I heard," put in Mundungus' pal, Rovaticus. "Does a poem or somesuch."
"Should be nea--" Sirius started to say, but broke off as McGonagall re-entered the chamber.
"Now, form a line and follow me," he said crisply, leading them off back through the Entrance Hall and from there off another side door into the Great Hall. Lily gasped; it was the most amazing place she had ever seen, with candles floating in the air above four long tables at which the rest of the school sat, staring at the very front, where, on a raised platform, sat the teachers, with an old man with twinkling blue eyes and a crooked nose in the middle, next to a short, dumpy old lady with a kind face and crinkly silver hair. He wore robes of midnight blue with silver stars and moons upon it and his hair, which was silver streaked with very pale auburn, shone as brightly as the stars that decorated his robes and grew down to his waist. The old lady seated next to him wore pale blue and soft gold, with ears that were pierced all the way down with silver hoops and sapphire stones. Her slightly crinkly silver hair was pulled back in a tight bun except for a braid at either side that was finished in a pale blue bead exactly the same colour as her robes.
Monique, Sirius and James gave almost simultaneous shrieks of surprise.
"Albus and Luisa Dumbledore!" Minerva gasped. Lily, Arabella and Erin could not understand the excitement.
"But who're they?" Erin enquired softly, mindful of the teacher standing very close to them.
"_Only_ the greatest wizard and witch in the world!" said Milo, his normally quiet voice hoarse with excitement.
"_They_ can't be our new headteachers, surely!" chorused Apollo and Artemis in a rare moment of twinnishness.
"Silence!" hissed McGonagall, and all were immediately hushed; even such excitement as the new headteachers didn't mean anyone wanted to make a bad impression on their first day.
Lily glanced around; everybody, including those who had heard James' explanation of what was to take place and, Lily noted, James himself, looked absolutely terrified. Nobody was speaking very much as Professor McGonagall lead them all up to the teachers' table, where he placed a four-legged stool and a patch, frayed black hat before them. Ghosts, misty silver, were sprinkled here and there amongst the students. One, wearing a stiff white ruff and tights, winked at Lily from where he was floating next to James' brother Michael. Noticing that everyone was staring at the hat, Lily tore her gaze away from the ceiling, where spectacular forked lightning had just bloomed, and stared at the hat too. A rip near the brim twitched. Then it began to sing in a quavery, little old lady sort of voice with, oddly enough, a Scots accent:
_"You're assembled now in Hogwarts, _
_And for a thousand years, _
_Your school has sheltered many, _
From their Dark Magic fears.  
But who first began this school of ours?
_Who had the first idea? _
_This is their tale, won't take me hours, _
_To tell those seated here. _
_They were raven haired Ravenclaw, _
_Smart and slim and tall, _
_And lionhearted Gryffindor, _
_The bravest of them all. _
_The other man was Slytherin, _
_Shrewd, handsome and sly, _
_And then sweet-natured Hufflepuff, _
_Sweet as apple pie. _
_But how to choose the entrants _
_To their Houses of Witchcraft?  
'Twas the Founders found the answer _
_(Let me tell you, they weren't daft). _
_I was there then, I'll still be here, _
_A thousand years from now, _
_To tell you the house you should be in, _
_That was my solemn vow! _
_So step up bravely to the stool, _
_Don't worry, I won't hurt you, _
_But don't you try to play the fool, _
_I'm here to help and Sort you!" _
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished. It bowed to each of the four house tables and became quite still again. Now McGonagall stepped forwards once more, unrolling a long sheet of yellowed parchment. The bottom fell to the floor, bounced a few times, then rolled under the teachers' table. A clever-looking young woman in dark red robes, with flowing blue-black hair, kicked it neatly back to McGonagall's feet. He nodded his thanks.
"That's Professor Silbain," whispered Artemis. "She takes Potions. She's dead clever!"
McGonagall's voice cut in on whatever else Artemis had to say on the subject of the Potions teacher, though Lily noticed a dark haired, good looking young Professor with dreamy black eyes watching Silbain, a slightly dazed smile on his face.
"Allbright, Kirk!" said McGonagall's sharp voice. Kirk stumbled forwards, sat down on the stool and tried on the Sorting Hat, which took over a minute's thought to shriek "Ravenclaw!", but 'Avery, Michaela', was pronounced a Slytherin almost before the Hat touched her head and she strode off, apparently well satisfied. After her came 'Anderson, Justin', who, after nearly five minutes deliberation, was pronounced a Hufflepuff albeit in a rather uncertain voice that sounded more like a question. 'Azim, Kazaan!' came next, a sharp faced boy with clever black eyes. The hat barely touched his head before it screamed "SLYTHERIN!".
The first Gryffindor was 'Banges, Michael', a clever, mischievous-looking boy with a shock of light brown hair. Then it was Sirius' turn to try on the Sorting Hat.
"Good luck!" James hissed after him. Sirius turned and waved with a nervous smile, showing tightly crossed fingers. However, he need not have worried- the Hat took only a few seconds to pronounce him definitely 'GRYFFINDOR!' and Sirius scooted happily over to the table decorated in scarlet and gold.
Immediately after him came Milo, stumbling as usual- he practically fell over on his way to sit on the stool but was quite quickly pronounced a Hufflepuff. The next of their gang to be Sorted was Lily, after two Ravenclaws, two Hufflepuffs, another Gryffindor ("Dervish, Samora!") and a burly Slytherin boy, Moloch Crabbe. She knew, from what she had heard about the different Hogwarts Houses, that she wanted to be in either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, preferably the latter. A horrible thought struck her: what if she was put in Slytherin with the boy she had kicked earlier? From the mutters of conversation she had heard along the Hogwarts Express, Lucius Malfoy seemed to be a very powerful person in his own way and an almost definite Slytherin, and spending seven years incarcerated with him and his supporters was not exactly Lily's idea of a fun time.
When her name was called, she strolled forwards, doing her best to act as though she hadn't a care in the world, though it was anyone's guess how well she was doing at the pretence. She picked up the hat, plonked herself on the stool and let the thing fall down over her eyes. She was plunged once more into pitch blackness.
"Well well well," said a little voice in her head, "What have we here? A lot of bravery, I see, but there's better than average brains here too, plenty of loyalty, and determination? Oh, in sackloads! Well, you've certainly given me a problem here- not that I don't enjoy it, of course."
"Anywhere, just not Slytherin!" Lily thought firmly.
"Hmmm… well, if not Slytherin, and I don't think you're a Ravenclaw, where shall we put you? I know, why not let you be a- GRYFFINDOR!"
The Hat yelled the last word to the whole hall, which instantly burst into applause as it always did when a new House member had been announced. Lily, still entirely surprised at her good fortune, and slightly deafened by the Hat's strident blare, walked as steadily as she could over to the table on the right, where she sat down next to Sirius. He high-fived her, grinning. After Lily came 'Faraq, Noosah', who became a Hufflepuff and then Arabella, who looked pale green with nerves. The hat decided her House quite quickly with a sudden yell of 'RAVENCLAW!'. Immediately after her came Mundungus, who was immediately made a Hufflepuff like Milo. Next came a pretty dark-haired girl, 'Glyssey, Charana!', who became a Gryffindor, then another burly boy ('Goyle, Malcolm') who became a Slytherin.
At last it was Monique's turn. She was milk-white as the hat slipped over her face, but in a trice it was off again as she was immediately pronounced a Gryffindor. She ran quickly over to the table where she linked arms gratefully with Lily, grinning with triumph. The next people to become new Gryffindors were twins, 'Llewelyn, Catrin' and 'Llewelyn, Madoc', and then it was Remus' turn to try on the Sorting Hat. It took a good while to decide with Remus, but eventually he was announced a Gryffindor. Next of the gang was Minerva (GRYFFINDOR!), then Peter (SLYTHERIN!), James (GRYFFINDOR!), Erin (RAVENCLAW!) and, last of all, the twins. Apollo went first, but the Hat didn't take very long at all to pronounce the two of them as Ravenclaws. After Minerva had come Lucius Malfoy, who had swaggered forwards, his blonde hair slicked neatly to his head, and had immediately fulfilled all of the predictions by having been announced an immediate Slytherin. There was only one person left now, a small, dark haired, dark skinned girl with proud eyes and a slightly hooked nose, announced as being 'Zabini, Musa!'. She strode forwards at once and was quickly made a Slytherin. When she had gone, McGonagall picked up the stool, rolled up the scroll and took them both away.
Now both the Dumbledores stood up, both beaming happily. Lily noticed that Albus Dumbledore was very tall, while his wife (she presumed, due to the lack of a family likeness) was absolutely tiny, not much bigger than most of the second years.
"Welcome to a new school year!" beamed Albus. "It is my first year as Headmaster of Hogwarts myself, though I used to fill the capacity of Transfiguration teacher, so I'm not as likely to get lost as you may think!"
"Oh, do shut up, dear!" Luisa cut in. "I'm Headmistress this year instead of Charms teacher (the post I used to fulfil, many moons ago) and I don't intend to take any nonsense from you lot! That said, it is my belief that there are many storms ahead of us as we face the new Dark threat. Teachers may be leaving us, and of course new ones will be coming to fill the gaps left. Together, we must forget all our petty squabbles between our houses, and though it's a cliché, remember this: _We are only as strong as we are united._ Together we will fight this storm, but separated we can do nothing." With this she sat down again, allowing her husband to continue.
"Yes yes, thank you for our daily gloom and doom update, my dear," he said, still smiling, his strangely blue eyes twinkling behind their half-moon glasses. "There doesn't seem to be much more to say, so please tuck in!"
Instantly, food materialised on the plates in front of them, brimming with all kinds of delicious-looking food; for some reason, mint humbugs and golden sweets that looked suspiciously like Worther's Originals to Lily, had been included in the fare. Everyone, ravenous after the long trip on the train, ate as though just released from a ten-year famine. As they ate, they talked, and Lily began to get to know her fellow new Gryffindors. Besides the five she already knew, there were three boys and three girls, including a set of Welsh twins named Cerys and Madoc Llewelyn. These were unlike the Westhaven twins in that they were very similar, being small with thick dark hair and deep brown eyes. The two even finished each others' sentences, and in short were as twinny as it was possible to be. Besides them, there was Michael Banges, a clever-looking, dark haired boy with eyes that had a permanent, wickedly amused light in them (he became instant friends with Sirius and James after they discovered his father co-owned Hogsmeade's joke shop, Dervish and Banges) and a solemn-looking boy named Kyle Browning. The two other girls were Charana ("Call me Chaz") Glyssey, a tall girl with dark blue eyes, and Timothea Ollson, a shy-looking blonde girl.
Under the constant stream of chatter, the time went quickly, and it came as a surprise to all when Luise Dumbledore stood up and yelled "BED!" at the full blast of clearly robust lungs. Slightly deafened, and only just realising exactly how tired she was, Lily joined the others in stumbling up to Gryffindor Dormitory and bed.


	6. Excerpt

Hogwarts: The True Story  
  
Part 6: Excerpt from the Daily Prophet, September 2nd 1971
**ATTACK ON THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS!**
By Callisto Peterson-Smith  
An unknown device exploded on the famous Hogwarts Express train yesterday, just as the last of the students exited. Luckily there were no fatalities, though the front end of the train will have to have a massive overhaul that is believed to cost a minimum of ten thousand Galleons- money which will come from new Headmaster and Mistress Albus and Luisa Dumbledore's pocket.  
Shocked Hogwarts Prefect James Potter, sixteen, who was the last person off the train before it exploded, told us: "My girlfriend Suki Chang, another prefect, and I had just been checking the train for any objects or pets left behind- it's one of the prefects' duties. We'd only just got off the train when the front end exploded- the force of the explosion blasted the two of us and some of the others who were still there a good few metres through the air. I had my cheek cut badly by flying glass, Suki broke her arm and several people took very nasty cuts and bruises- one girl broke both legs when she was thrown against a stone pillar on the platform, but thanks to Madam Pomfrey everyone's fine now, just very scared." Mr. Potter is the eldest son of Miranda and Jonathan Potter, two very prominent Aurors, and his younger brother James is just beginning Hogwarts this year.  
As former extremely high-ranking Aurors, the new Headteachers of Hogwarts must feel that this is an act of glaring defiance from those remnants of the Dark Side still remaining after the couples' defeat of the arch wizard Grindelwald in 1945- after all, there has been no great Dark leader since that time. Or has there? Rumours are circulating of a new threat to the wizarding world; whispers abound of a Dark wizard whose powers exceed even that of the Dumbledores. Anyone who has dared to publicise the name of this new threat has died- horribly. I'm no braver than the average magic-user, so I think I'll give it a miss, especially since most Hogwarts students agree that at least one Dementor was loose on the Hogwarts Express shortly before it blew up, and Azkaban Prison emphatically denies that any of their Dementors were responsible.  
Stay safe,  
Callie P-S. 
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